Where Are They Now? Suzanne 'Suzy Chapstick' Chaffee, celebrity skier

By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL, P-I REPORTER

Updated 10:00 pm, Wednesday, February 8, 2006

No Winter Olympian with ties to the state of Washington had a more remarkable post-Olympics career than Suzanne Chaffee, a former skier and late-1960s dabbler in journalism, photography and languages at the University of Washington.

While her Olympic teammates jokingly dubbed her "Daffy Chaffee," she was anything but:

Fashion plate: Chaffee was favored to win a gold medal in women's downhill in the 1968 Games in Grenoble, France, but she used the wrong wax on her skis and finished 28th. Despite the gaffe, Chaffee's skintight silver ski suit made her a media favorite. Said Chaffee, "I still got the second-most publicity after Peggy Fleming. Fashion saved my butt."

Ski pioneer: Three years after the Olympics, Chaffee was instrumental in the development of freestyle skiing, which evolved out of Chaffee's invention of "ski ballet" or what she liked to call "snowdancing."

When freestyle skiing -- then known as "hot dog" skiing -- became a professional sport in 1971, there was no women's division. Chaffee joined the tour anyway and won World Championships from 1971-73.

Her success on the circuit prompted the sport's hierarchy to add a women's division.

Board member: In 1976, Chaffee joined the U.S. Olympic Committee's Board of Directors, becoming the first woman to do so. Through Chaffee's efforts, freestyle skiing was added to the Olympic menu in 1992.

Accolades: Chaffee ultimately became a member of the Ski Hall of Fame in three categories: as an Alpiner, as a freestyler, and as a "builder."

"Suzy Chapstick": In 1978, Chaffee made a TV commercial that instantly became a part of her identity. "Hi! I'm Suzy Chapstick!" she announced, while skiing into view.

The commercial made her national celebrity and enabled her to subsequently earn in excess of $100,000 per year in endorsement income from such companies as Colgate and Dannon.

Pearly whites: Chaffee filmed an Ultrabrite commercial that one advertising industry group voted "Commercial of the Decade" for the 1970s.

Title IX: Chaffee was instrumental in convincing federal lawmakers to enact Title IX, a statute which guarantees equal opportunities for men and women in federally funded education programs.

Amateur Sports Act: In 1978, Chaffee lobbied Congress heavily on behalf of the Amateur Sports Act, which reorganized the USOC and established the governance structure for amateur sports in the United States, and also ensured equal opportunities for women.

Rule writer: Working with the USOC, Chaffee helped write legislation that eventually allowed Madison Avenue to freely sponsor Olympic teams and individuals.

Movie queen: In 1986, Chaffee starred in "Fire and Ice," still the highest-grossing ski film of all time.

Today: In 1996, the former University of Washington student became co-founder of the Native Voices Foundation, a nonprofit based in Colorado whose goal is to bridge the gap between Native American and mainstream American culture through sports, particularly skiing.

Said: "As an athlete," remarked Chaffee, "I was on planet Me, and it was an empty feeling. I've discovered that giving back is the real Olympic high."